ROBOT ZOMBIE FRANKENSTEIN is the story of two nuts-and-bolts buddies who try to one-up another. So I wanted to see how Anette one-upped a fabulous ROBOT idea to make it a triple-threat.

TL: Annette…umm…HOW?

AS: Robots and zombies may be getting some extra attention now (and for that I’m grateful!), but I think that from a kid’s perspective, they’re pretty standard characters. Like pirates, superheroes, and outer space invaders, they aren’t new subjects, just fun ones, and why not combine? My youngest, who’s now 18 and soon to graduate from high school, came to his fifth birthday party wearing a pirate hat, a tie, and a chef’s apron.

TL: In your book, the robots try desperately to one-up another. This is brilliant, as you’ll often see young children doing this. I remember dance class when I was seven, a girl told the instructor she practiced for an hour every day. Then came shouts of “I practice two hours” until I finally said “well, I practice TEN hours a day”. So funny. At the time I thought I was impressing everyone, but now I realize they knew I was lying. Do you have a childhood one-upmanship experience that gave rise to the ROBOT ZOMBIE FRANKENSTEIN story?

AS: Hmm. Tara, I pinkie-promised my sister I would not divulge details. (Let’s just say I won. All the time.)

I wish I had some fantastic backstory about this book. The truth is not glamorous: Robot and Robot showed up in little snippets as I walked, cleaned my house, grocery-shopped, and waited in car pool. They crept in from the fringes while I was busy querying agents with other stories.

But I do want to share something that may be especially dear to readers of your blog. These two cartoons by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman have smiled from my fridge for years. (You can tell they’re old by their colors.)

My youngest is about to head off to college, and I’m realizing I will have to find another excuse, er, reason, as to why I’m not more prolific. Or else just get my butt back in chair.

It’s still complicated.

TL: Did you give your robot characters names as you were creating them? What do you think their names really are?

AS: I did kinda play around with names. For awhile, I thought of Robot and Robot as Cy and Borg, then Cy and Henry (Henry = the measuring unit of inductance– sounds smart, huh?) or Hecto (a computer measurement for 100). My fabulous editor, Mary Lee Donovan, sometimes nicknamed them Watson and…Isaac? Asimov? Chip? I can’t remember. In story discussions, we called them Purple and Green. In the end, they each said, “I, Robot.”

I hope one day the robots get a pet; I have a fun long list of pet names.

TL: Is there anything your robots wanted to be, but they didn’t get the chance to transform themselves? Anything cut out of the final version that you wish would have remained?

AS: As far as cutting-room-floor material, here’s a spread that didn’t make it. But, should Robot and Robot one day go trick-or-treating…

Well, folks, you can one-up your friends by not only winning a SIGNED COPY of ROBOT ZOMBIE FRANKENSTEIN (which is a *perfect* Halloween read), but by also winning cool robot chest iron-ons! Impress your friends, neighbors, and local Kindergarten classes!

Just leave a comment to be entered. A winner will be randomly selected one week from today!

Annette Simon says that when she was in kindergarten, she was named Best Artist in her class. When she was in the third grade, she won her school’s Fire Prevention Week poster contest. After she graduated from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning, Annette earned awards as an advertising creative director. Now, she writes and draws for young readers. Simon says she could not feel more honored. Learn more about her books at AnnetteSimon.net.

LOVE the sound of this. Especially love the fact that a few hours before my signing at Flyleaf on Saturday, THIS book about Frankenstein will be up, with Annette Simon doing a signing at the same place!! Really looking forward to this one!

What gives with all these characters? Kids themselves are the best of characters and I would love to read a book about a real couple of kids who were expert one-up-oneship, very creative liars! Remember, first liar never has a chance.

Whee! How fantastic is this book going to be??? Don’t answer that – I’m pretty sure my five-year-old is going to be telling me very soon! It looks wonderful – thanks for bringing it to the top of the to-Read list!

Showed this to my zombie-fearing, robot-loving, Frankenstein-clueless 8-year-old earlier and he is begging for it!! So… if I don’t win, we’re still buying it (but don’t let that influence your pick!) ;-)

Love this cute book! Can’t wait to win/buy it! The one-up battle is so real among and between kids (especially boys) that this will be an instant connection for kids. And the trailer is cute, especially the tick-tock-spooky-clock sounds! You can virtually hear the gears in these guys heads whirling. – Damon Dean

Love to read about clever new picture books. Thanks for sharing, Tara, and I know Annette will be coming out with lots more books for us to enjoy now that her son will be going off to college. This is a great time to blossom as a writer!

Many cats prefer horizontal surface to scratch on rather than vertical.
I have a cat tree available in every room of my home.
This is almost feline abuse in the eyes of your precious
princess or your precious prince.